Table of Contents
Hercules Beetle Facts
What is special about Hercules beetle?
The Hercules Beetle is the world’s longest beetle!
The Hercules beetle is one of the world’s largest insects, and it is not just large. The males have long horns that grow from their heads and the middle of their bodies. They come together to resemble pincers or a claw.
Can Hercules beetles bite you?
Hercules beetles may look frightening as they are large in size with scary-looking horns but they do not harm humans in any way. The eastern Hercules beetle bite is not common as they are usually very docile. Their horns are not harmful either.
How strong is the Hercules beetle?
The Hercules Beetle is remarkable, not only for its strength, able to carry up to 850 times its own weight, the protective outgrowth of the insects’ exoskeleton, aka its shell, also changes from green to black as its surrounding atmosphere gets more humid.
How fast do Hercules beetles fly?
The Hercules beetles must be a fast runner, but it is also a forager of food. It hides in the dead leaves and rotting fruit mass on the forest ground looking for food. The Hercules beetle flight speed is not very fast at an average is around 1 m/s and 4 m/s.
What do Hercules beetles use their horns for?
The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) uses its horns like the arms of a plier to lift and squeeze an opponent and toss him onto the ground.
Can a Hercules beetle fly?
The hercules beetle is capable of flight, though they are not as efficient at flying as other insects.
Do Hercules beetles have eyes?
The length of the horns varies, but the upper one is generally much longer than the lower one. 6. Beetles have compound eyes and chewing mouth parts. The eyes of a Hercules beetle are located on the sides of the head slightly below the lower horn.
Can you keep a Hercules beetle as a pet?
They make great pets for beginners as they don’t occupy a big space, they don’t bite, they don’t produce any unpleasant odor, and they are easy to take care of. To keep the eastern Hercules beetle, place the adult beetle in a tank filled with 3-4 substrates and some tree branches or barks.
What do Hercules beetles eat?
The larvae eat rotting heartwood, usually of deciduous trees, and the adults eat rotting fruits and tree sap. The eastern Hercules beetle (Dynastes tityus) is huge and strong. The larvae eat rotting heartwood, usually of deciduous trees, and the adults eat rotting fruits and tree sap.
How long does Hercules beetle live?
How long does it take for a Hercules beetle to grow?
The total time for complete development ranges 1921 months, and the total life span can be up to two years (Gruner and Chalumeau 1977). Figure 5. Hercules beetle, Dynastes hercules, larva.
Can a Hercules beetle lift a human?
Hercules Beetles can lift up to 850 times of their body weight, to determine the weight they can actually lift we first have to find the weight of a Hercules Beetle. So how much do Hercules Beetle weigh? Hercules Beetles weigh anywhere from 34g all the way to 140g, so they can carry up to 119kg.
Why do Hercules beetles change color?
When a restricted area of the elytra is subjected to a humidity that normally causes blackening and an adjacent area to a humidity that normally causes yellowing, both change colour in the expected way.
Can a eastern Hercules beetle bite?
Like most beetles, the eastern Hercules beetle can fly. When they do, they sound like hummingbirds but are much heavier than them. Despite their intimidating appearance, they are completely harmless to humans and do not bite or sting.
Why do Hercules beetles have horns?
Why do Horned Beetles have Horns? The most common explanation appears to be that they are used for fighting — males battle for mates, or defend their chosen female’s tunnel with their horns, thus passing on their genes. Even without fighting, females may pick the males with the longest horns.
How does a Hercules beetle protect itself?
Hercules beetles gain protection from predators by being active mainly at night (nocturnal), and hiding under logs or in vegetation during the day.
Is a Hercules beetle an insect?
The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the rainforests of Central America, South America, and the Lesser Antilles. It is the longest extant species of beetle in the world, and is also one of the largest flying insects in the world.
Can eastern Hercules beetle fly?
Despite their immense size and heft, they can fly very well. As members of the Rhinoceros beetle family, males have two horn-like pincers on their head, while females lack them. They are likely used in battle with other males over territory.
How does a Hercules beetle develop?
Like all other beetles, Hercules beetles start life as an egg. Then, they hatch into a larval form (sometimes called a grub) which eats its way into rotting wood. The larvae will eat and grow for over a year before it is ready to pupate.
Are Hercules beetles nocturnal?
Because Hercules beetles are primarily nocturnal, they will spend most of the daylight hours beneath the soil and will come to the surface at night. Multiple female beetles can be kept together in a single container with a single male, but males are aggressive to one another and should be housed separately.
What do you feed a Hercules beetle larvae?
Do Hercules beetles hibernate?
The beetle did not hibernate. As expected in a humid environment, its elytral color changed from light grey with dark spots to continuously dark brown in the first week and remained dark thenceforth.
What is the largest beetle?
The titan beetle (Titanus giganteus) is the largest known beetle in the Amazon rain forest and one of the largest insect species in the world. It typically lives in the rain forests of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, the Guianas and north-central Brazil. Adult titan beetles can grow up to 6.5 inches in length.
Do beetles drink water?
Yes, however, beetles rarely drink water because they are able to extract the moisture from the food they eat.
Are Hercules beetles scary?
Unfortunately, Hercules beetles are attracted to lights and will sometimes appear at porch lamps or in illuminated parking lots where they are eaten by predators or killed by humans. Although these very large beetles appear scary, they are harmless to humans.
How can you tell if a Hercules beetle is male or female?
The coloraton of the beetles is variable, but females are typically brownish black and males typically have black heads and black, brown or green bodies. There are several subspecies some of which are colored differently. Many have dark colored spots on the elytra.
Which bug is the strongest?
Scientists in the SBCS have found that a species of horned dung beetle is the world’s strongest insect. After months of gruelling tests, the Onthophagus tauru was found to be able to pull 1,141 times its own body weight, which is the equivalent of a human lifting six full double-decker buses.
What is the heaviest insect?
The tree weta is the world’s heaviest adult insect; the larvae of goliath beetles are even heavier. This endangered member of the cricket family is found only in New Zealand and can weigh as much as 2.5 ounces; that’s the size of a small blue jay.
What is the strongest insect predator?
Dragonflies are among the apex predators of the insect world and are considered to be responsible for regulating the numbers of many other insect species.
Do beetles shed their shells?
During this time, the larvae eat and eat and grow. However, to grow, they must shed their skin every so often. Right after they molt, their skin is white and soft, which allows the animal to grow before their skins hardens and turns tan again in a day or two.
How much are Eastern Hercules beetles worth?
Dynastidae / Rhinos & Elephants
| item # | name | price |
|---|---|---|
| Dyn141F | Dynastes granti F AKA: Western Hercules Beetle | $16.95 |
| Dyn155 | Dynastes tityus AKA: Eastern Hercules Beetle | $21.95 |
| Dyn155F | Dynastes tityus FEMALE AKA: Eastern Hercules Beetle | $14.95 |
| Dyn210LG | Megasoma actaeon MONSTER! LG AKA: Actaeon | $69.00 |
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